Manning Moves to Squelch Charge He Aided Enemies

FT. MEADE, Md. — Lawyers in the court-martial of Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, accused of leaking thousands of secret U.S. documents, clashed Monday over whether the most serious remaining charge against him – that he aided the enemy – should be dismissed.

A ruling in favor of dismissal by the presiding judge in the military trial, Col. Denise Lind, would clear Pfc. Manning of the accusation he has most adamantly denied. He waived his right to a jury in the trial that is coming to a close.

However, Pfc. Manning already has pleaded guilty to 10 charges covering accusations the he illegally removed and transferred the sensitive files, which ended up in a database maintained by the anti-secrecy group Wikileaks.